Crouch 3, 75

                                                                                       Wright-Phillips 59      

A much-changed England lined-up rounded off their successful World Cup qualifying campaign with victory over Belarus in a low-key affair.

Without the injured Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard and suspended goalkeeper Robert Green, Fabio Capello experimented with his formation, notably picking both Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips in wide midfield berths.

And it was a disjointed display from the new look line-up, until the introduction of David Beckham on 58 minutes, which restored the pre-match party mood.

And Beckham’s cameo won him a surprising man-of-the-match award ahead of two-goal striker Peter Crouch, as well as adding a gloss to the scoreline and the evening.

Capello was clearly unhappy with England’s first-half performance, a mood which he partially carried into his post-match interview.

A slightly tetchy England supremo said: “Some things were good tonight. Some things were not so good. And I want to keep the not so good things within the team.”

Capello’s new-look strike force of Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor and Tottenham’s Peter Crouch justified their selection as early as the fourth minute.

Agbonlahor broke down the left and crossed for Crouch to bundle the ball home from three yards.

But England faded for the rest of the half against a Belarus side who were neat and tidy in possession without threatening Manchester United’s Ben Foster in goal.

Within a minute of Beckham’s introduction, however, they doubled their advantage, the 115-cap veteran’s first touch being a short corner to Wright-Phillips, who cut inside his marker and drove his right-foot shot past keeper Yuri Zhevnov.

Five minutes later, Foster athletically parried Sergei Omelyanchuk’s powerful left-foot effort after a slick three-man move.

But Crouch made it 3-0, on 75 minutes, when substitute Carlton Cole’s shot was turned into his path by a diving Zhevnov.

And both Beckham and third replacement James Milner struck the post late on as England cruised to victory.